A Winner Is You!: The War of the Roses
by Moonshine's Guide
Summary: Marluxia, along with Vexen, is ordered by the Superior to compete in a tournament being held at El Centro Del Mundo. This disrupts Marluxia's plans, but he isn't about to waste the time. Let the War begin! Contest entry for Avatarjk137 contest.
1. The Beginning

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

Marluxia had been in his garden when he received his orders. The Graceful Assassin had been attending to some of his more lethal plants: Belladonna, Deadly Nightshade, Monkshood, Foxglove, Oleander, amongst others just as deadly. Upon the Superior's arrival, he had arisen, making sure his face did not betray his true thoughts when the Superior gave him his new orders, the orders to attend this tournament.

He had bound his displeasure in a dark place within the deepest crevice of his mind, if one could even say that a Nobody could even feel displeasure, lacking the most vital instrument of emotion, the heart. He had smiled, thanked his Superior, even when his Superior had informed him of who was to be his partner for this assignment.

Only after the Superior left, did Marluxia allow himself a frown, turning to face the flowers and trees and plants that he had tended since his genesis. This was an unexpected development for Marluxia. He had thought his next mission would be his assignment to Castle Oblivion, presumably as the Lord of the Castle.

His plans would have to be altered. He had informed Larxene first. She was his ally in his mutinous scheme, and she would have to be informed of the change in plans. That was the easy step, although he dragged it out, making the simple task take much longer than it needed to. He had no desire to speak with Vexen, let alone work with him. If he had a heart, he would hate the condescending elder, with his I'm-holier-than-thou attitude. But Marluxia acknowledged the fact that the older Nobody could be useful on the mission, if only for information, and potions for healing inbetween rounds.

Marluxia dallied for as long as he could, stopping by his garden to make sure that his plants would be well taken care of in his absence. Several lesser Nobodies were allowed to tend his garden during the duration of the trip. He figured, no he knew, that Vexen would somehow take at least part of his lab with him. The man could not seem to exist without science. Marluxia would not risk taking his flowers with him. He had learned, via the brochure, that there was a hedge maze, as well as flower shops at this mall. He would have to make due with that. Besides, he had already seen in the brochure, in one section of the hedge maze a patch of Foxglove was growing as ornamentation. The most beautiful of flowers can be some of the most deadly, or Marluxia had learned from experience.

Marluxia made sure to arrive late to meet Vexen. It was always amusing to get a rise out of the blonde, and Marluxia took every chance he got to antagonize the scientist. Today was no exception. After a terse exchange of words, the two men departed.

The two had barely arrived at the mall before they split company again. A small cafe had been agreed upon as the site for meetings, if they were necessary. Marluxia had deemed this arrangement unnecessary, but went along with it. Who knew when he would need the Academic's help.

Marluxia slowly moved through the crowds, taking in the sites. He made sure to end up by the hedge maze though, quickly moving into the winding depths. It was nice to be surrounded by his element. A smirk had grown on his face, a natural expression for the pink haired man. He made his way to the center of the maze, finding a small fountain, as well as an iron bench waiting for him in the center. He sat down, a rose held nimbly between his fingertips. He examined it idly, waiting for the show to begin.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Kingdom Hearts, along with Organization XIII, belong to Square Enix.**

**Author's Note: Here it is, the beginning of my second contest entry. If anyone desires to see any other of the contest entries, check under the X-Over sections. Or, if one is unable to locate any stories there, go to Avatarjk137's profile, then go to his Forums. In his forums, under Characters, there is a list of author's and the characters they are using. Simply go to whichever author's profile you desire to read and look under their stories. Their entries should be there. **

**On another note, I shall be posting who my opponent author is, should anybody desire to read their side of the story. **

**I thank you for taking the time to read my tale, and please leave a review. Thank you, and to the rest of the contestants out there, good luck!!**


	2. Discord in the Garden

**Round One: Discord in the Garden**

Marluxia listened to the listened to the announcement of the fights with have an ear.

_Angel? _he mused to himself. _I wonder who this Angel is… _He shrugged effortlessly. It didn't matter. He would win whoever he fought.

He didn't have to wait long. During the down time between his entrance and the announcement of the fights, he had taken some… creative liberties with the hedge maze. His smirk grew wider. He wondered how Angel would handle the changes. He leaned forward slightly, listening silently to the whispers of the plants. Nature was his element, and it helped him in every way possible, even serving as a way to observe.

_**The Wars of the Roses**_

Angel growled in consternation. A passerby had told her that they had seen a pink haired figure enter the hedge maze. She had entered the maze, expecting it to be easy, expecting to find this Marluxia in less than five minutes. It had looked easy in the pictures displayed in the ad, with the appearance of a maze that was meant to be pretty, not challenging.

No longer.

Thorny vines had overtaken the path, making it almost impossible to get through. Plants that looked like oversized venus flytraps bit at anyone who passed them. The path itself seemed to have changed. What had once been a right turn was now a left turn, and what was once a turn was now a straightaway.

Angel traversed the insane paths, trying to find her way through them. She got lost several times, and ended up back at the beginning several more times. She bit back the urge to rip through the foliage. That just made the situation worse, as the vines and flytraps pursued her with a vengeance usually not attributed to flora. She squared her shoulders and journeyed once more into the verdure labyrinth.

_**The Wars of the Roses**_

Marluxia followed Angel's progress with amusement. She was doing rather well, all things considered. He snapped his fingers, and the path before Angel changed once more. This was rather amusing all in all. And Angel was much easier to deal with than he had thought. _Now what will she do? _he thought to himself, holding the rose before his face, twirling it between his fingers.

_**The Wars of the Roses**_

Angel saw the path widening. Finally! She had found the end to the path. She raced forward, happy to be out of this hellhole of a maze.

The place she emerged onto was a rotund plaza, with many types of flora. Angel looked around at all the different types and pondered as to how she had missed this place earlier. She proceeded farther in, pausing to look at all the flowers. The flower beds were arranged in circular rows, all around a central hub, one circle nestled inside another, with about three feet of space between each row for a path. The flowers themselves all looked so harmless. There were hyacinths, daisies, irises, and other flowers all about. Angel wandered about, forgetting about her fight with Marluxia for a minute. She meandered about, until she reached the central hub.

The floral arrangement of the central hub focused on a blossoming Sakura tree. Angel stared up at it. It was beautiful. The trunk gracefully extended towards the sky, the petals swaying gently in the wind… Angel stiffened. There was no wind in here. How could the petals be swaying?

As Angel assessed what that could imply… Marluxia struck. Or rather, the Sakura petals did. Razor sharp petals flew at Angel, scoring deep marks into her skin. She howled, jumping backwards to avoid the sharp blows. She dodged about, trying to avoid the seemingly never ending stream of attacking petals, moving into the flower beds that surrounded her. The flowers there attacked her as well, their sharp leaves biting into her flesh. Angel retreated, her only course of action.

She ran as quickly as she could, but all the flora that made up the maze attacked her, hampering her progress. By the time she got to the entrance, magenta blood stained her fur, matting it together. Her breathing was slower, but was still there. She collapsed to her knees, sinking into unconsciousness.

_**The Wars of the Roses**_

Marluxia smirked. "One down…" he stated, looking at his rose, holding it up to the light. "Many more to go…" He laughed, his deep voice echoing throughout the area.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… no matter what my delusions insist… darn…**

**Author's Note: I asked a friend, one who is a big Lilo and Stitch fan about some details, and he did help. As much as he could anyways. **

**So, moving on, the killer garden idea… it sprung out of reading the Chain of Memory's manga one time to many. Yeah, I know, I'm pretty sad. I expanded on Marluxia's capabilities a little bit. **

**My opponent in for this writing duel is Skipper1313. He wrote a very good chapter, and I enjoyed it very much. I thought his idea was very unique. I highly recommend reading it. **

**I thank you for reading my story, and I do hope ever so much that you will leave a review. Thanks again!!**


	3. Pushing Daisies

**Round Two: Pushing Daisies **

Marluxia was sitting at the bench when the boy arrived. He lazily assessed the newcomer, taking note of the boy's white, nearly pupil-less eyes and how the veins on the side of the boy's face were popping out.

"Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin." It was a statement, not a question. The boy was already certain of the answer.

Marluxia rose to his feet. "Indeed," he replied. "I must congratulate you, for making your way through my maze." If he could be surprised, he would be. The announcements for the second round had been made barely ten minutes previously. He had anticipated that it would take his opponent much longer to make it to where he waited, if they made it at all.

This boy… Neji, was not to be underestimated.

"It was very simple," The boy stated, shifting his body so that his lower body was perpendicular to Marluxia, his upper body twisted slightly to face the Nobody.

Marluxia smirked. "Ready to fight already Neji Hygua?" He walked to stand next to the fountain. "Didn't your mother tell you patience is a virtue?" He held his hand up in the air. A sakura petal drifted down gently in the air, glowing brightly an inch above Marluxia's hand. The form expanded, black threads spiraling out in thin lines extending from the original petal into the large form of a scythe with a pink blade. Sakura petals danced in the air around the weapon, Marluxia swung the scythe so it rested at his side, ready to be used.

He had no chance to retaliate, Neji was already upon him, open palms jabbing into Marluxia's stomach, with a call of "Two palm!" Marluxia grunted as he was knocked back a step. He started to attempt to slice with his scythe, but Neji beat him to the punch. "Four Palms!" Marluxia felt the attack again, pressing the air out of his lungs. With a quick jerk of his hand, a vine shot out at Neji's side.

With a swing of his hand, Neji blocked the vine, diverting it's course. He never stopped, moving directly onto the next assault. "Eight Palm!"

Marluxia felt his lower back collide with the fountain as he called forth more vines. This time, to serve as defense. Vines sprung up between the two opponents, just barely in time to provide a shield from the attack. Marluxia took half a moment to regain his breath, before retreating slightly. He couldn't fight close quarters in this fight. That much had been made apparent to him. The strength of the boy's attacks and their swiftness rendered his scythe almost completely useless.

A better battlefield was needed.

Marluxia stood underneath the Sakura Tree, in the plaza that he had used before. He leaned against the tree, waiting.

He wasn't kept long. The boy ran into the plaza, dashing towards Marluxia. Marluxia swept his arm, and a storm of Sakura petals flew at Neji. The boy spun in a circle, yelling. "Rotation!" A blue shield from around the boy, scattering the razor sharp petals.

Marluxia repeated the attack, and sent some vines as well to entangle Neji. With another spin and cry of "Rotation!" the shield formed around the boy again. The boy barely paused, running forward towards Marluxia.

Until a vine whipped out from behind Neji and struck the boy full force on the back of the neck. Neji was sent forward, tripping, to the ground, somersaulting and ending on his back. Marluxia smirked, continuing the bombardment by sending more vines, encasing Neji completely, and tying him to the earth. He made the vines tighten around Neji's legs until he heard a snap.

"I do believe that we're done here," the pink haired Nobody stated, starting to walk away. "Have a nice day."

**Disclaimer: I own diddlysquat. Comprendè??**

**Author's Note: The corresponding chapter is written by Movie-Brat. Go check it out. The ending is shocking. So good luck to Movie-Brat!!**

**Dedication: I dedicate this entire chapter to my brother, Danny, who spent the entire I was writing it trying to explain Neji's fight style to me. I really appreciate the demonstrations as well, even though my stomach hurt for a bit afterwards. Danny, thank you so much. And I'm really sorry that you died so much in your game because of my inquiries. **

**Random Stuff: Um… honestly, how did this chapter go?? I rarely watch Naruto, and the wikipedia page wasn't the most helpful. My brother did his best, but I must confess to a lack of knowledge. Mainly concerning chakra… Reviews, constructive criticism, advice, anything except pointless flaming are appreciated. **

**Thanks, and have a nice day!!**


	4. Battle in the Water Garden

**Chapter 4: Battle in the Water Garden**

Marluxia was standing near the fountain when he heard the man. "Congratulations on making it through my garden…" he greeted, taking a quick glance over his shoulder, before his face resumed its absent contemplation of the fountain. "Wolverine, I presume??"

"Some garden punk. Man eating flowers?? Is this a Sci-fi convention or somethin'?" Wolverine treaded farther into the small area, looking around for any more dangerous plants.

"No… just a little deterrent for opponents," Marluxia smirked, waving off the insult. "Didn't take too long to grow them either."

Wolverine was beside him now, a doubting look on his face. "You grew 'em?"

Marluxia glanced over at the man, before turning and starting to exit. "Come, we have much to do and little time to do it in."

Wolverine scowled. "Who put you in charge, bub?" he demanded, quickly following after.

"Why, me of course," Marluxia replied, weaving through the labyrinth that he had turned the hedge maze into. "I presumed that you would want to get out of my garden with less effort than needed to get in…"

Wolverine's scowl deepened, but he followed after the pink haired man. "Where're you headed??"

"The water garden. One of our opponents can't swim. Play to our strengths. You can swim, correct?" Marluxia's pace increased as the duo left the hedge maze.

"No, I sink like a log. Doesn't matter much though. What we're fighting is smaller than me, and I can walk in water that's over their heads, " Wolverine stated, not caring too much about the possibility of water.

"Good point," Marluxia consented, making a left turn at a flower shop. As he passed, Marluxia took a fleeting glance at the flowers, before moving on.

"What's with you and flowers fairy?? Flower power??" Wolverine asked, noticing his partner's slight pause.

Marluxia hid his annoyance with the nickname. "I control the element of Flowers."

Wolverine snorted. "What type of girly power is that?"

"The kind that can create man eating plants," Marluxia snipped back sardonically. Wolverine shrugged it off as Marluxia led him onto a small bridge. They had arrived at the water garden.

The Water Garden was at the nexus of no less than five of the Mall's water ways. The result was a large pool, several feet deep and about forty feet in radius. The designers had put in several wooden bridges and platforms that floated on the water. Only the center platform was unique, being a large concrete column that rose from the bed of the garden. Flowers, however, dominated the landscape. Water lilies, water hyacinths, and innumerable other species flourished in this garden. Fish weaved in and out of the roots of the plants, taking their time to get wherever they were headed.

Marluxia smirked at the sight. "Perfect," he stated simply, walking along the various bridges and platforms as he made his way to the center platform.

"Listen, Bub, I don't know what you're thinking, but whatever it is, could you tell me instead of leading me on a wild goose chase?"

Marluxia looked over at Wolverine. "It's quite simple… but it looks like we won't be able to speak about it now. Our opponents have arrived." He gestured elegantly to the edge of the garden, where two creatures stood, arguing by the looks of it.

"Finally," Wolverine grumbled, his claws coming out with a shink. "You going to depend on the flowers to save you fairy?"

Marluxia laughed. "Not exactly…" He extended his arm, his scythe appearing in a whirl of sakura petals.

"Show off… here they come…" Wolverine slipped into a fighting stance as the two approached, running across the bridges.

A smirk settled on Marluxia's face as he watched the duo of creatures approach. "They're already fighting… and we haven't even started…" Marluxia observed, noting how the pair seemed to be racing to get here first. The red one won, shoving the other creature back and launching himself forward at Wolverine.

"I'll take the strong one. You can have the girl, Stitch!" the red one taunted the other, slashing at Wolverine. The mutant dodged, the creature's attack slicing his arm. The wounds healed almost instantaneously. Wolverine smiled dangerously, before retaliating.

"Girl?" Marluxia questioned in outrage, before moving to attack the blue one. His scythe barely missed the creature.

"Leroy, we're supposed to work together!" Stitch shouted as he dodged the blow, before dashing forward to attack Marluxia.

Leroy made no reply but set upon viciously attacking Wolverine. The man dodged what he could and retaliated with slashes of his own. The two were almost equal in their attacks; Leroy's blows were voided by Wolverine's healing factor, and any strikes landed on Leroy were nullified by the experiment's desire to out-do his counterpart.

Marluxia was struck by the first blow, sent skidding backwards. The little creature hit harder than he had thought. As Stitch came forward to strike again, Marluxia disappeared. Stitch slid to a halt, glancing around quickly for his opponent.

"Behind you," was all the warning Stitch got before a storm of sakura petals swarmed him, opening a flurry of cuts. Stitch growled, charging and leaping up into the air at the pink haired man.

He flew right through him, the form disappearing in a showy shower of sakura petals. Unable to stop himself, Stitch crashed right into Leroy, sending the two sprawling dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

Leroy recovered first, punching Stitch in the head. "What did you do that for, naga?"

"I was going after Pinky!!" Stitch protested.

Leroy had a look of disbelief on his face. "The girl's over on the other side of the platform," he shouted angrily, pointing at Marluxia, who indeed was on the opposite edge of the structure.

"I'm not a girl," Marluxia corrected with a slight scowl, leaning on his scythe.

Leroy made no move to acknowledge Marluxia's correction. He only shoved Stitch closer to the edge. The Nobody took advantage of Stitch's proximity to the water flowers to use several roots to grab Stitch and pull him into the water. Caught off guard, the experiment was easily dragged into the depths.

Leroy made no motion to help him, as he was running full throttle at Wolverine. The mutant slashed before the experiment and sent Leroy reeling. Wolverine quickly took advantage of his enemy, and pressed forward on the offensive.

Marluxia on the other hand, nimbly avoided the fighting to watch and make sure Stitch was out for the count. A short trip to Vexen and a bit of pressure on the blonde, had revealed Stitch's weakness.

Gazing into the water, Marluxia quickly found Stitch. The experiment was still struggling with the roots. They had entwined around his arms and legs, rapidly advancing to start encasing the creature, who fought back with abandon. Marluxia watched with a superior smile, until Stitch began to rip through the roots. The creature slowly managed to rip himself free, before realizing a new problem. The Nobody's grin quickly returned as it dawned on the creature that by ripping the roots and destroying most of the aquatic plant life in the vicinity, he had robbed himself of any possible way to get to the surface.

A crash behind him drew Marluxia's attention from the struggling Stitch. He twisted around, to find Wolverine standing over a heavily bleeding Leroy. The red creature was surrounded by cracks in the platform and was unconscious. Marluxia's gaze shifted over to Wolverine, who shrugged. "The punk was annoying me."

Marluxia 'hmmmed' and turned around to look back at Stitch. "He's still conscious…" he commented.

"The other one?" Wolverine queried, walking over to confirm what Marluxia said. Marluxia made a gesture at the still-struggling Stitch. Wolverine whistled in amazement. "Damn."

"I don't think he needs to breathe…" Marluxia stated. "So I believe I'll just leave him there. He has friends here; they can fish him out." With that closing remark, Marluxia walked away.

"That's pretty cold, fairy. Don't you have a heart?" Wolverine called after his partner.

Marluxia laughed, the counterfeit tone of the laugh resonating throughout the area. "No, I don't," He called back. "You should remember that, when it comes to our fight!" With those parting words, Marluxia disappeared out of sight.

Wolverine stared at the spot where the pink haired man had disappeared. "Damn fairy," he mumbled to himself, turning to look back at Stitch.

The experiment was still struggling to reach the surface, with no luck.

_**Disclaimer: I own naught but my laptop. Marluxia belongs to Square Enix, Stitch and Leroy are Disney's experiments, and Wolverine… is his own property, but Marvel claims to hold a claim on him.**_

**Author's Note: Another day, another fight. If one wishes to read either my partner's version of the fight, or opponent's version, Wolverine is written by Kohaku Kawa, and Stitch and Leroy are being written by Skipper1313 and kinger810 respectively. **

**There's not to much to say about this fight either. The idea of the Water Garden was inspired by one of the gardens in the Chicago Botanic Garden, but the design is my own idea. **

**Many thanks to Kohaku Kawa for allowing me to pick his mind so often. It helped so much. **

**Moving on… thanks for reading, and reviews are the bread to my butter. I love them so.**


	5. Guns and Roses

**Chapter 5: Guns and Roses**

Marluxia glanced over at his blonde companion. She had claimed the bench for herself, and was currently curled up with a copy of one of the Marquis de Sade's novels.

"So… we have to beat up this twerp?" she inquired, flipping a page in the book.

Marluxia nodded. "Yes, Larxene. Now that it's allowed, your assistance may be valuable. At the very least, it will make you look better in the Superior's eyes."

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Like I care what the Superior thinks…" The Savage Nymph shut her book and stretched lazily. Rising to her feet, she began to exit the labyrinthian garden. She paused at the edge of the grove Marluxia usually resided in, resting a hand on her hip. "What's the plan?"

Marluxia smirked and began to explain.

_--Battle Tournament--_

Wolfwood was scrutinizing the entrance to the garden. He had heard from other contestants, from spectators, about what was in that Garden. Monster flowers, demon trees, and a pink-haired man who seemed to be the orchestrator of the mad garden.

The gunslinger bit on the cigarette in his mouth. He knew that he had to get the man out and away from the garden, but how? And even if he could lure his opponent out, how was he to keep the man away from plants??

"You look a little lost… need some help?" a sweet voice cooed to him from the left.

Wolfwood turned to face a short woman. She had an odd glint in her eyes, and her entire demeanor had a false air. "I'm fine," he replied, his gaze returning to the maze's entrance. The woman peered over at where he was looking. "Are you waiting for somebody?" Wolfwood gave no answer. Right now, he had no time to deal with this woman and thus he missed the woman's lightening quick scowl. "A man already walked out of there already. Looked like he was in an awful hurry…"

The woman's word captured his attention. "A man did? What did he look like?"

The woman raised a finger to her lips, tilting her head as if trying to remember. "Pink hair… black robe… muscular… why, were you waiting for him?"

A part of Wolfwood was happy that the man was out of his den, but the practical part of him worried. If the man was gone, then where had he gone to? To another garden? To one of the numerous flower shops?? To a cafè??

"Hey, are you listening to me?" The woman's voice broke his chain of thought. "I said, it looked like he was heading for that flower shop down the way. You know, the one with all the roses…"

"Thank you," Wolfwood stated, eyeing the woman once more. He didn't have any objections to a woman helping him… but something about this woman seemed off. He paused before moving to see if the woman's advice was true. Something about this screamed trap, but it wasn't like he could not not fight the man. This was the only lead he had right now.

As the man began to walk, he justified his actions. "Vash has done stupider things…"

He didn't notice the blonde disappear into a black portal behind him.

_--Battle Tournament--_

Marluxia spread his arms apart in what appeared to be a placating gesture as he watched Wolfwood enter the small store, stopping at the threshold. "Welcome," he said grandiosely, "To the Red Rose. Do feel free to browse around…"

Wolfwood made no reply except to unsling the cross from his back, unwrapping it to reveal a large machine gun.

"Rather violent for a priest, aren't you?" Marluxia commented, making no move to defend himself.

Wolfwood shrugged. "Get that a lot…" he commented, before he fired.

The Marluxia before him burst into a shower of petals. Wolfwood cursed, looking around rapidly, before quickly taking a diagonal step back. If his movement had been a shade slower, his head would have been pierced by a kunai.

"Wow you're fast. This is going to be fun!" A voice giggled. Wolfwood whirled around to see the short woman from earlier staring at him. She was floating a foot above the ground, and between each of her fingers a kunai was held. Wolfwood distanced himself from the door of the shop, as the woman threw her kunai at him, apparently toying with him. She didn't even flinch when he fired at her, dodging with an easy grace. Wolfwood knew he had hit her, there was blood on the lower half of her coat.

He was forced to stop retreating when a scythe cut through the air behind him, neatly cutting off the back of his cross. Marluxia had returned. "Surrender?" the pink haired man inquired nonchalantly.

Wolfwood made no reply except to turn to fire at him. The nobody disappeared once more, reappearing at the woman's side. "Larxene, finish him." A malacious grin spread across the woman's face.

Lightning rained down around Wolfwood, showering the area in sparks. The smoker tried to distance himself from the machine gun, a large makeshift lightning rod, but the lightning struck first. It raced through his system, making him woozy and slow.

Marluxia slowly walked over, kicking Wolfwood onto his back. "Still breathing," he grunted. He looked over at Larxene. "Been practicing?"

The blonde smirked. "Demyx has been annoying me lately," she stated flippantly. "Now come on. I heard they have stores of every kind here and I have things I want to buy…"

"No handcuffs," Marluxia grimaced as he stared back down at Wolfwood. "You can go on your own. I have to finish up here."

Larxene shrugged. "Your loss…" she mumbled, leaving.

Marluxia stared down at the man, who was trying to recover. "I still have to finish you… wouldn't do for you to recover and try to attack me before the round ends…" The nobody summoned his scythe and slammed the butt of scythe's handle into Wolfwood's forehead. The man slipped into unconsciousness. Marluxia smirked. "One more round to go…" he stated, dismissing his scythe. He allowed himself a moment to gloat, before swiftly turning and leaving, his footsteps echoing in the air.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… nothing nothing nothing…**

**Author's note: So… um… yeah, definitely not my best. My apologies. Digressing, my opponent author in this round is jjp55, so good luck to him!! A few notes on Larxene… yes she is in character. She reads Marquis De Sade and is into… that… sort… of… stuff… yeah, moving on. Thanks for reading!! **


	6. The Rose and The Strawberry

**Chapter Six: The Rose and the Strawberry**

Marluxia was alone in the mall's hallway as he strode to his next destination. The few spectators left in the area had departed, due to the newest rule. It seemed they had no wish to be caught in the crossfire.

"Last round…" Marluxia murmured contemplatively, twirling a rose inbetween his fingertips. A smirk grew on his features. He rose to his feet. "And killing is finally allowed." The pink-haired man fought back a laugh as he continued on.

Ichigo intercepted him before he got five feet further, Zangetsu held in his hand. "Where are you going?" the orange haired boy asked, slipping into a fighting stance. His question was more of a statement.

Marluxia stopped walking, slowly taking in the boy that stood before me. "Why, to fight you, Shingami," Marluxia replied, summoning his scythe to his hand. "Did you expect something else?? Roses perhaps??"

Ichigo scowled. "I'd heard about your flower obsession, but this is pushing it…"

Marluxia shrugged off the statement. "You should be careful though. I'm a rose with thorns."

Ichigo was yanked off his feet. While the two had briefly spoken, Marluxia had called forth a thorny vine, and subtly ensnared Ichigo's ankle with it.

The substitute shinigami let out a grunt as he fell to the floor, shoving back his scolding thoughts of being careless. With a quick motion, Zangetsu had severed the vine and the boy was back upon his feet, just in time to block a strike from the scythe. Ichigo grimaced. His ankle stung where the vine had grabbed him, but he couldn't give in. Not yet.

Marluxia grinned. "This will be interesting…" He commented, pressing his weapon against Ichigo's. There was no reply to his statement. Ichigo twisted his sword, freeing it from the scythe's grasp and thrust it forward through an opening.

The pink haired nobody twisted his torso, barely dodging the blow. His smirk was still on his face as he swung his scythe once more, forcing Ichigo to take a step back. The Shinigami recovered quickly, his sword snaking forth once more to be caught by the scythe's blade.

The two pushed against the other for a short moment, before the two jumped apart. Marluxia eyed the boy. "You're quite strong…"

Ichigo's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "I should be. I fight a lot." He disappeared, quickly reappearing behind the Nobody's back, slicing quickly. Marluxia burst into a shower of petals. Ichigo blinked. Where had he…

"Very good, I do suppose that's shunpo. You almost got me there." Ichigio turned around. Marluxia was standing before a small flower bed, one that's main purpose was to take up space in the middle of a hall.

Ichigo cursed, before taking a few steps forward. "How'd you know so much about Shinigami anyways?"

Marluxia shrugged. "I've killed several," he stated nonchalantly. He noticed Ichigo's grip tighten on his blade. "Upset? Don't be. Concentrate… on our Fight!!" Vines shot out of the ground at Ichigo's feet, tearing and ripping at the boy. He fought of the vines, reducing them in seconds to discarded ribbons at his feet.

"I am." Ichigo glared at Marluxia, his eyes full of determination. "I'm not going to lose this fight!! BANKAI!"

Marluxia watched as the boy's sword changed, slimming down and becoming pure black. His clothing changed as well. "I'm terrified," Marluxia stated sarcastically, before almost falling backwards to avoid a blow. Ichigo had charged him so fast that the Nobody hadn't even seen him coming.

A few minutes later, Marluxia was panting slighting, blood seeping out of several cuts. He had underestimated the boy. This bankai of his… was truly formidable. The nobody grinned. "Time to finish this."

Ichigo frowned slightly. He stood a short distance away, pausing before he attacked again. Ichigo was winning, and here the man was talking about finishing this?? "You're weird," The substitute shinigami shifted his grip on his weapon, and zoomed forward.

Marluxia swung his scythe.

There was a flash of blood, and the sound of a body collapsing onto the ground.

Ichigo gasped for breath. Zangetsu dropped out of his hand, returning to its normal form. Why did he feel so… weak?? He felt a shadow spread over him, and saw Marluxia towering over him. "I do think you're pondering the situation. Do you want to know why you're feeling so… weak?" Marluxia didn't give him a chance to answer. "At the beginning of the fight, you were stabbed with one of my vines." The Graceful Assassin reached down and grabbed the boy's foot, dragging it up. Visible on Ichigo's skin was a black zero. "It's a hit limiter. I don't know how many hits you started out with, but that last time I hit you put you over your limit." A smirk crawled over the man's face. "If I had a heart, I would have gotten worried several times. You put up quite a fight. Although the ending was rather anticlimatic." Marluxia dropped Ichigo's foot and rose to his full height. "I don't think I can let you have a chance to come back and get me though…" A sickening noise reverberated throughout the hall as Ichigo's head rolled.

Marluxia eyed his handiwork, before turning and leaving, a rose reappearing between his fingertips.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… for I am flat broke and Christmas is a few weeks away… **

**Author's Note: Ah, Marly, you are a bloody man. This is my first time writing any Bleach character… although I am very fond of the manga and the anime. Szayel Aporro Grantz is my favorite… hehehe… but Ichigo's not bad either. I do hope I did a good job writing him. My opponent this round is Khellen Rafe, so good luck to him!! I can't wait to read your side of the fight!!**

**The hit limiter is inspired by the game… one round, in the remake, when you go up against Marly, he imposes a hit counter on you. And if you get hit so many times, you automatically lose. And, even though I've never played this version, it must… really… suck… especially if you're down to his last bar of health… **

**Anyways, thanks for reading. Have a nice day!!**


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